Further information

The six funded projects

Noise network plus: engineering a quieter future

Led by:

• Mark Plumbley and Abigail Bristow, University of Surrey
• Charlotte Clark, City St George’s, University of London
• Simone Graetzer and Antonio Torija Martinez, University of Salford
• Alan Hunter, University of Bath

Environmental noise has a major impact on public health, society and wildlife, much of which is a result of engineering activities, such as roads, airports and construction.

Despite its pervasive effects, noise is currently a neglected pollutant, underscoring the urgent need for more research and better interdisciplinary coordination.

In response, this project sets out to re-engineer the discipline of engineering, making noise a consideration at all stages of the design process.

It will create a mission-oriented inter-organisational research and innovation network, ‘noise network plus’, as a catalyst to bring together diverse, dynamic teams from across disciplines.

It will build unprecedented noise research capabilities to deliver a healthier, quieter, society and environment.

4D engineering of healthcare technologies (4D health tech)

Led by:

• Sophie Cox, Andrew Dove, Michael Bryant and Samantha Cruz Rivera, University of Birmingham
• Connor Myant and Robert Hewson, Imperial College London

Numerous tissues within our bodies continuously adapt to environmental cues over time.

In a healthy state this enables growth, movement and regeneration, but changes also occur as a result of many diseases and as we age.

When we engineer medical devices to replace or repair these tissues, these time dependent changes are not typically incorporated.

The aim of this network plus award is to inclusively transform engineering mindset into four dimensions, enabling the innovation of a new dynamic medical device era.

The digital design network plus: designing faster and better with less (D2N+)

Led by:

• Trevor Robinson, Queen’s University Belfast
• Ben Hicks, University of Bristol; Ashutosh Tiwari, The University of Sheffield
• Anja Maier, University of Strathclyde

This network plus will create an active digital design community that will define, set and prioritise key engineering design challenges and viable solution pathways that will exploit digital design technologies and help UK engineering transition to net zero faster.

It will ensure industrial engineering design processes fully adopt and leverage emerging capabilities, such as generative design tools, to create faster, better and more environmentally-friendly systems.

Better water for all: re-engineer water engineering for equitable and resilient access to high-quality water for future generations

Led by:

• Bing Guo, University of Surrey
• Francis Hassard, Cranfield University
• Bing Xu, Heriot-Watt University
• Lucia Rodriguez Freire, Russell Davenport and Tom Curtis, Newcastle University

Water is fundamental for basic human needs, economic activities, social wellbeing, environment and ecosystem health.

But ensuring a safe supply means facing up to many challenges, including the threat posed by emerging chemical and biological micropollutants (ECBM).

This project will help address this issue and develop comprehensive, effective frameworks to manage and reduce ECBM risks in water or wastewater systems.

Failure Modes of Engineering (FeME): a network for future inclusivity, sustainability and global impact

Led by:

• Encarni Medina-Lopez, Agnessa Spanellis, Laura Colucci-Gray and Sue Widdicombe, The University of Edinburgh
• Christa Searle, Heriot-Watt University
• Caroline Gauchotte-Lindsay, University of Glasgow

This project will focus on socially and environmentally responsible approaches to engineering, nature-based engineering, and global engineering solutions.

It will explore the use of ‘failure modes’, a method taken from traditional systems engineering, to co-create a network of research practitioners, industry and local and global communities, that delves into the complex relationship between engineering, nature and society.

This interdisciplinary network will tackle the failure modes of current engineering practices, particularly in relation to climate change and its impact on women, children and underrepresented groups globally.

UK open multimodal AI network (UKOMAIN)

Led by:

• Haiping Lu, Nicola Morley and Nataliya Tkachenko, The University of Sheffield
• Peter Charlton, University of Cambridge
• Dezong Zhao, University of Glasgow
• Yao Zhang, University College London

Multimodal artificial intelligence (AI) integrates diverse data types, such as text, images and sound, to transform scientific discovery and enhance our interaction with technology.

It plays a crucial role in addressing tomorrow’s engineering challenges, spanning health and wellbeing, transportation systems, robotics, materials discovery, space research, nature-based engineering, global engineering solutions and responsible engineering.

The UK open multimodal AI network aims to connect stakeholders and solutions across disciplines to drive sustainable impact and growth.